We're in This Together
by ElizaSummer
Summary: Claire's life is planned in detail, so when her day starts with her alarm not going off, she immediately knows it's going to be a horrible day. Lucky for her, there's a handsome Raptor trainer ready to catch her when she falls.
1. Chapter 1

We're In This Together  
Chapter One

Claire knew something was wrong when she woke up to see sunlight peeking around her blackout curtains. She always woke up before the sun rise, and seeing sunlight crawling across her carpet made her uneasy. A quick glance at the clock on her nightstand revealed she had slept an hour past her alarm.

"You have got to be kidding me!" She grasped at her phone to check if she set the alarm, only to see it was completely dead. Claire muttered various profanities under her breath as she followed the cord to her charger, only to find it was half unplugged from the wall. She muttered all the curses she knew under her breath as she untangled herself and jumped from the bed.

Another quick glance at the clock confirmed she had time for a shower, but did not have time to wash her hair. Hopefully her hair wasn't greasy, and she could get away with a quick brush and spritz of hairspray. Unfortunately, a glance in the mirror after her quick shower revealed her hopes were too high.

She grumbled as she sprayed the dry shampoo in her hair. Claire had never had reason to use it since college, but thankfully her prepared nature dictated she keep a can for emergencies. That didn't mean she couldn't hate every moment the powder touched her ginger strands. It always made it stiff, odd smelling, and worst of all messed with the color of her hair.

Eventually she made it out the door only a few minutes past her usual departure time, and entered her office on time. Zara was already busy at her desk, a pile of packets waiting on the corner for Claire to grab. She nodded thankfully at her assistant for the packets, as well as the hot coffee she could already see on the desk. She had been meaning to get around to filling out the paperwork to give Zara a raise, and the delicious coffee hitting her tongue prompted her to scribble the idea down on a post it note.

Fifteen minutes into her morning routine of pacing around while talking on the phone with potential investors, her heel broke. Claire wanted to hit something at this point. Those were her favorite pair of heels— she had been wearing them the day she landed the position Zara currently held, and when she was promoted to manager. She knew they were bound to break eventually despite their still-new appearance.

Once again she was thankful for her tendency to plan ahead, and slipped out of her shoes to retrieve the back-up heels sitting in the bottom of her 'extras' drawer. They were stiff from lack of use. Claire grimaced, knowing her feet would be red and sore by the time she finally went back to her apartment.

Things finally began to look up as she walked into a meeting with the heads of the various departments. Everything up to that point had been going smoothly. All the investors she had talked to that morning made generous offers, allowing the construction of the new paddock 11 to begin almost a year earlier than planned. Her shoes weren't as irritating as she believed they would be, and no one had called from control, meaning there had been no issues with the containment units or their inhabitants.

If there was something Claire was particular about, it was the containment of all the assets. Irresponsible planning had caused the tragedy of the original park, and she did not even want to imagine the PR nightmare and hordes of lawyers she would have to deal with if such an event ever happened again. Last time the blame had been solely on John Hammond and the group of people involved small— the accident had been kept under wraps easily. Masrani would be completely useless in a legal situation, and would leave Claire to relay between lawyers.

Despite the good run of luck she was having, Claire hadn't had time to eat anything and the stress of the morning started a small, yet annoying headache. If she wasn't careful it could easily turn into a very bad headache and eventually a migraine. Not that she couldn't handle either situation, but when she was this busy it was an inconvenience.

As the department heads filed in to take their seats, Claire looked through her files to review the meeting topics. Her blood ran cold as soon as she realized she had grabbed the wrong manila envelope. This folder held her statistics on the gyro sphere's satisfaction ratings since the seat upgrades, not the points they needed to review for each individual program. She briefly entertained the idea of running back to her office to retrieve the file, but quickly discarded it. She would only get hot, sweaty, and out of breath and ultimately appear disheveled. She could fake her way through this, and avoid losing her composure.

 _Okay Claire, you can do this without the notes. You've looked it over a million times before today, just think._

The meeting was probably the longest of her life, but she managed to get through it without messing up. All problems new and old had been worked out without too much arguing, and everyone left the meeting happy. Except for Claire, because her headache had officially progressed into migraine territory.

She had been packing up to leave her office when the shrill ringing off her phone pierced her ears. She glanced at the screen with all intents on ignoring the caller with two exceptions: Simon Masrani and the control room. She almost cried in frustration as she saw Simon's name on the screen.

Mr. Masrani's phone call made her headache double, and her mood become much worse. He had some concerns about the budget increase request with the raptor paddock. What confused Claire about the situation was that Simon was concerned they weren't asking for enough money, and wanted her to make sure the employees were happy with their pay and the raptors were happy— whatever that meant. After Claire asked who she needed to see, her mood officially hit its lowest point in her time managing the park.

When she got to her car to make the long drive to the paddock, her car decided it wasn't going to start. For a moment Claire thought this could be the break she had wanted all day, but once the engine finally turned over she groaned, and accepted she would have to talk to the one employee she'd rather avoid.

"Dearing, how nice to see you!" His stupid grin made Claire want to punch something. He worked with the most dangerous dinosaur known to mankind, and yet he was smiling like he wasn't in danger of being eaten every day. Or in danger of having his teeth knocked out at the current moment.

"Mr. Grady. I'm here to discuss your budget request for the assets, if we may." She gestured to his office, wanting to get the whole thing over with. By this point her migraine had crossed the threshold into a mega migraine. Her vision had narrowed down into a tunnel some time ago, but it was nothing she couldn't deal with until she got back to her apartment. If she didn't get nauseous she would be fine.

"Oh, uh yeah I went back through and tried to find things the girls could deal without." Surprisingly he pulled out her chair for her before taking his own seat. The office had been straightened up since the last time she had visited, but there was still a plethora of various sports balls restrained in nets on the walls. She found herself staring at them until he cleared his throat.

"The toys were something I was willing to negotiate out of the budget. The girls don't really need them, they're more along the lines of toys for fun, not training." Claire blinked a few times, trying to get her mind back on track. She contemplated asking the lights to be turned out or dimmed, but that would be admitting she was weak or he would take it as an innuendo. Neither were scenarios she felt like dealing with.

"Actually, Mr. Masrani has agreed to your budget proposal. He's concerned if you need more money and aren't asking for it. He wants to ensure maximum satisfaction of his employees and assets, Mr. Grady." She didn't miss his wince at the word 'assets'.

"It's Owen, and are you serious right now? Simon wants to give us more money? We're more than happy with our salaries, but the girls could use some more food. If they had more food they would be able to withstand longer periods of training." Claire hummed her acknowledgement, scribbling down notes as Owen spoke.

"What kind of food are you talking about?"

"They're partial to pork and beef, and occasionally a chicken to chase around the paddock for fun." She continued to write, not looking up.

"Are you okay?" Claire looked up, fighting to focus her eyes on the man in front of her. She had been swaying in the seat without noticing it.

"I'm fine. Now back to the raptors, are there any complaints about the safety of the other employees or a need for longer breaks?"

"No, the construction of the catwalk made everything better. Well actually, the installation of a few harnesses for the catchers would be nice. One of the new guys was almost pulled over the railing trying to grab one of the shredded balls with a long hook, and a harness would keep them from falling into the pen." She nodded again, scribbling down the words 'harness for catchers' in a random margin.

For another hour, Claire trailed behind Owen as he went through the safety protocols and tested some of the last line defenses should the raptors try to escape.

Eventually she had all the information she needed and bid Owen goodbye before walking back to her car. Unfortunately, Owen had been watching her walk and noticed the slight stagger in her step. Despite her assurances that she was fine during their talk, he knew something was up.

Usually she was alert and sharp as a tack, but she hadn't even acknowledged his stupid jokes that always made her angry. A bad feeling came over him as he watched her yank on the handle a few times before figuring out it was locked. Claire remembered everything, especially something as trivial as locking her doors.

"Hey, wait up. I don't think you should drive." Owen jogged over, reaching Claire as she finally got her doors unlocked and turned to glare at him. She was very pale, and her pupils were fully dilated. The slight swaying of her body made up his mind, damned be the consequences. He snatched the keys from her hand, and began to guide her to the passenger side.

Claire voiced a few quiet complaints, but surprisingly didn't fight him once she was seated. He drove for a little while, before getting around to asking her which building she lived in. They hadn't made it very far, not even past the road that led to his own home.

"Claire, I need you to tell me where you live."

"Pull over." It was the first thing she had said since he took the wheel.

"Claire, I can't just let—"

"Please pull over!" She sounded desperate, so he listened. As soon as he stopped, Claire bolted out the door and hit the ground on her knees. Retching sounds echoed through the forest as he rounded the car, making Owen wince. Claire weakly tried to push him away as he held her hair back from her face and gently rubbed her back. Owen was sure by this point that she was suffering from a migraine. She must have skipped eating, and probably had a stressful day on top of it.

Once she stopped retching, Owen placed her back in the car and took off in the direction of his bungalow. He obviously was not going to get a response from the now unconscious woman, and asking around where she lived was probably asking for trouble. Not only due to the gossip that would spread, but he would be in physical danger once Claire was feeling better. If anyone could do a roundhouse kick in high heels, it would probably be her. He wasn't willing to find out how sharp those shoes she always wore really were.


	2. Chapter 2

**We're In This Together  
Chapter Two**

She was very uncomfortable. Her bed felt softer than usual for some reason, and the sheets a different material. Plus the room was warm, when usually it was cold due to her AC unit being on 24/7. She thought maybe the unit had broken down, but she had checked it over just last week. Could the power be out to the entire building? Sometimes that happened when a transformer blew.

"Why is it so hot in here?" She groaned, throwing off the covers as she turned on her side, trying to find a bit of cool fabric. When she found it she sighed in relief, until realizing her sheets were flannel and did not have cool spots.

She almost screamed when her eyes opened to see a very unfamiliar ceiling. She threw back the covers and was relieved to see she was still dressed, the only thing missing being her shoes. She could feel her hair sticking in every direction, and hoped that it wasn't looking as horrible as she thought it was. After a few seconds of looking around dazedly, she noticed a piece of paper lying on the nightstand with her name at the top.

 _Claire,_

 _I left some clothes for you to change into when you wake up, if you want to. There's a glass of water and some ibuprofen sitting beside this note if you need them. I'll be outside if you need anything._

 _Owen_

Owen's handwriting was much neater than she had expected it to be. Eventually Claire managed to take the pills, down the water, slide off the bed, and search for the aforementioned clothing. She started to ignore the offer, but once she glanced down to see her white skirt stained with dirt as well as her hands and legs a shower was officially in order.

A hot shower, a blue shirt with NAVY printed across the chest, and a pair of sweatpants later, Claire finally wandered in the direction she believed the living room to be. As she took in her surroundings, Claire was pleasantly surprised to find his home was actually fairly organized. It looked homey, a stark contrast to her own apartment. She felt a pang of guilt after noticing the pillow and rumpled blanket lying on the couch. He couldn't have been comfortable on that thing last night, and there had been more than enough room on his bed. But then again he may have been worried she would hit him first upon waking, and ask questions later. It was a valid concern.

"You're more of a gentleman than you let on." She murmured, running her hand over a picture of Owen wearing his Navy things. He really did look handsome in his uniform. She was almost tempted to ask if he would put it on for her sometime.

"You're up. How do you feel?" Claire jumped, almost knocking over the picture. She shot a glare at Owen as he tried to stifle his amusement from surprising Claire. Once her irritation faded, she took in his clothing curiously. White shirt and jeans covered in oil and grease again, similar to the first time she had met Owen.

Since InGen hired him, she didn't interview him, and thus had no idea who the man was handling the smartest animals they had on the island. She'd asked where he had been housed, and driven to meet with him. He had been working on his bike then too, which made Claire wonder if he just enjoyed tinkering with it or if it had reoccurring issues.

"I feel much better, thank you." They stood in an awkward silence for a few minutes before he cleared his throat, moving to the kitchen. She followed, not sure what else she could do at the moment.

"You're probably hungry since you didn't eat yesterday. Is there anything I can make you for breakfast?" He smiled at her as he spoke, causing a pale pink flush to rise up her neck.

"What do you usually eat?" She had already taken his bed and his clothes, she didn't want him to make anything he didn't like.

"Fried eggs, potatoes, bacon, and toast."

"That's sounds perfect." She watched in fascination as the raptor handler cooked. She had him pegged as a man who survived on microwave meals and take out, but he seemed pretty confident in his skills.

"How did you know I hadn't ate yesterday?" To his credit, Owen didn't falter as she asked.

"When you got sick yesterday hardly anything came up, so I figured you hadn't eaten all day. Add that on top of how stressful your job probably is, you must have had the mother of all migraines. You were unsteady on feet as well as sitting and your eyes were dilated when you came to the raptor pen yesterday, which is usually a sign of a concussion, migraine, or attraction to someone." He shot her another grin as he finished listing the signs, causing her to blush again.

She frowned, crossing her arms to let him know she wasn't amused. He simply chuckled and turned back to the stove to flip the bacon. She let her thoughts drift to how embarrassing she must have looked last night. It would explain the dirt on her skirt and body. Vaguely she remember asking him to stop the car and then tumbling out to attempt to get sick. She would have to ask Zara to take it to the dry cleaners after she finished organizing for the meeting. Panic flooded her when she thought of the meeting. She had to be at work.

"What time is it?"

"It's seven in the morning, why?" Claire jumped up, ready to bolt to the bedroom and grab her clothing. She was going to be late to work for the first time ever, and she had a meeting at one that absolutely could not be moved. Unfortunately her body was still feeling the effects of no food, and she almost fell over from the dizziness.

"Whoa! Calm down, I called your assistant this morning and told her what happened. She told me to tell you that she could take care of everything today, including the meeting. All you'd need to do to catch up is read some papers and sign them." Bless her wonderful assistant. She really, really needed to give her a raise after this. Probably a larger than necessary one, but Zara deserved it.

"Thank you, I guess. How did you get her number?" He gave her a sheepish grin and pointed to the phone plugged in by the bookshelf. Careful not to stand too fast, she went to the phone and saw it was hers.

"How did you get into it?" Owen held up one hand and wiggled his fingers before pointing back to her, all while not looking from the stove. It took a moment before she realized he was talking about the fingerprint scanner. She wanted to get mad at him, she really did, but she couldn't find it in her yell at the man who had probably kept her from wrecking and killing herself last night.

It had been a long time since anyone had taken care of her. Claire had been on her own since her mother died when she was fifteen. Of course she had Karen, who fortunately fought for custody to keep Claire away from their father, but she felt her poor older sister had enough to deal with, and didn't need a teenager to take care of when Karen had still been one herself. Owen taking the initiative to help her, despite her attempts to deny she needed help, struck something in her that made her feel warm.

"Why did you help me? I've been nothing but rude since that date." Owen sighed before placing a plate of steaming food in front of her. She would be lying if she denied how good it looked, and the fact her stomach growled loudly in anticipation.

"I will concede that half of that was my fault. I shouldn't have worn board shorts or drank on a first date, but you have to admit it was kinda your fault too. Who makes up an itinerary for a date? Discuss jobs at 9:00pm, I almost lost it in the middle of the restaurant."

"Fine, I shouldn't have made an itinerary. Anything else while we're discussing the worst date in the history of Jurassic World?"

"Aw, you only said the park instead of ever this time. I guess I'm growing on you." She wanted to smack him. He was a master as twisting her words, and it was seriously irritating. Claire was usually precise with her wording, especially when it came to nailing down difficult negotiations and meetings with the Park's lawyers. Yet this smug man in front of her could twist anything she said to benefit himself.

"Seriously though, I couldn't let you drive off when I could see you weren't feeling good. Just because we had one bad date doesn't mean I don't like you anymore." She had to grab her glass of orange juice to cover the small smile she couldn't hold back.

They ate the rest of their breakfast while making small talk. Owen told Claire all about his raptors, and how their progress was going. Claire told him about the new deal they were trying to nail down to begin construction for the new paddock. They mostly talked about the raptors, because Claire loved how excited he got while talking about them.

It was refreshing to see someone who loved their job. Usually she was stuck in an office all day with people who did what they were paid to do and then leave. It didn't matter if the work had actually been completed for the day or not. They came, worked for eight hours, and then left. Owen was something different. He probably would stay with the raptors without pay or health insurance, just because he loved his job so much.

After they finished eating, Claire offered to do the dishes. He tried to tell her no, but once she shot him the notorious Claire Dearing glare he surrendered and settled for drying duty. Their arms brushed occasionally, sending jolts up her arm. It was amazing how within twenty-four hours she went from hating the man to actually enjoying his company.

"So, uh, do you usually work on Saturday?"

"Sometimes if I need to, but not usually. Why?" Owen finished the last plate, and put it back in the cabinet. He turned on her, leaning against the counter and crossing his arms.

"How would you like to come to the raptor pen tomorrow? You can actually get the full tour and not be on the verge of collapsing this time. I'm sure the girls would love you."

"Carnivorous dinosaurs would love to see any human, Owen."

"You know what I mean. So how about it?"

"Owen, I don't know. I mean—" He strode forward and placed his hands on her shoulders, looking her in the eye. He seemed to be searching for something, until she let a small smile slip through. His own grin appeared as he stepped back and clapped his hands together once in victory.

"You can't think of a good excuse, so that means you're in. We feed them breakfast at 8, so be there before then if you want to see them on their best behavior." She couldn't help the full-blown grin that appeared as she watched him get excited. He was like a kid showing off his new toys he got for Christmas.

"Please, do not wear your heels. While I don't doubt you could walk on the catwalk with them, we could move a lot faster if you didn't." Claire scoffed and walked over to the couch, folding the blanket he had used the night before. It was a habit she had. If she was nervous she began straightening and cleaning up whatever was around her. Once the blanket and pillow were sitting neatly on the arm, she sat down and crossed her legs.

"Believe it or not, I don't wear business attire every minute I'm awake. I own regular clothing too." Owen joined her on the couch, angling himself to face her. His arm laid across the back of the sofa, the other resting on his leg.

"I'll believe it when I see it, Miss Dearing."

"Well then I'll just have to prove myself, Mr. Grady." He grinned and surprisingly she let herself smile back. Maybe being friends with a guy like Owen Grady wouldn't be all that bad.


	3. Chapter 3

**A month since I've updated isn't the worst. I have several other poor, neglected stories that have been shoved aside or this story. That being said, please enjoy! Reviews are not mandatory, but they do have an impact on the speed of which I update (specifically I see the notification in my inbox and things oh shit I need to update that).**

* * *

 **We're In This Together  
Chapter Three**

Claire was not going on a date with Owen Grady. She was simply going to visit the raptor paddock, and see things with a clear mind. The fact she was not bringing her clipboard, or wearing her work clothes, was irrelevant. It was more efficient if she dressed casual, seeing as she was not going to be in the office but instead outdoors all day.

"What about the green v-neck shirt with a camisole underneath? Green looks lovely with your hair and eyes." Zara was sitting on her bed, watching as Claire attempted to find something to wear. She had stopped by earlier with the papers that needed signing, saving Claire a trip to the office before Monday. She would be willing to call Zara her friend, and as such she had took it upon herself to help Claire pick out an outfit.

"I still can't believe you are going on a date again with Mr. Grady. I thought the last tryst at the restaurant would have landed him on your 'destroy at next opportunity' list."

"It's not a date, he's just showing me around since I wasn't feeling the best Thursday. That's it." The look Zara gave her was one akin to high school girls gossiping, and denying they liked someone. Claire gave her a look back, and smoothed out the nonexistent wrinkles in her shirt. She had on the shirt Zara mentioned, with a pair of jeans, and her converse. Tennis shoes felt odd to wear if she wasn't working out, so converse were a nice middle ground if she had to wear something other than heels or her cute sandals.

"That looks fabulous, I'm sure Mr. Grady will appreciate it."

"Zara, I will take back your raise."

"No, you won't. I know you better than that, Claire. I have to go to pick out flowers, but promise me you'll let me know how it goes. I want every detail, no matter how naughty." She winked as she left the apartment, leaving Claire with her imagination. Now that the idea of 'naughty' things was placed in her mind, she couldn't help but let her mind wander. Owen was definitely something to look at, she could admit that (although not out loud). She sighed, looking in the full-length mirror again to double check her appearance.

Not a wrinkle to be seen, hair perfectly straight, and makeup minimal but perfectly applied. She was Claire Dearing, and she was not nervous to go on a not-date with Owen Grady.

Owen had trouble keeping his mouth shut as Claire stepped out of her Mercedes. A low whistle came from the guard house, to which Owen sharply looked at. Tom quickly went back to watching the monitors.

Never in his lifetime had he imagined he'd see the great Claire Dearing in jeans, a t-shirt, and converse. Especially the converse. He had pictured her wearing something like rounded shoes that toned the legs as the wearer walked, or plain white tennis shoes one might see people wearing to the mall. Yet here she was, wearing black and white converse of all things. He'd be lying if he said Claire didn't look amazing.

"Did I miss breakfast, or am I just in time?" Owen grinned, placing a hand on her lower back to guide her towards the fence.

"You are just in time, Miss Dearing. If you will follow me up the stairs, we can begin feeding time."

The Raptors were not what she had expected. The reports she read on the original Raptors noted them as over six feet tall and stocky to withstand high impact into objects. These four looked like skinny lizards that could walk on their hind legs. She estimated they would come to her knees if they stood beside her, but she wasn't willing to find out. They could jump high enough when Owen threw the chunks of meat to them for breakfast, despite their small size. Owen told her they were close to four months old and would be full grown by eight.

At three Barry showed up to take over the rest of the day, so Claire hung back while Owen told him everything they had done that morning. A quiet chirping beside her made her jump. Pressing a hand to slow her racing heart, she looked over to see Echo looking through the fence. Instinct told her to back away from the Raptor, but Echo seemed to be more curious about her. The longer Claire stared, the more Echo nudged at the bars and chirped. Eventually Claire kneeled down to be eye level with her, to which Echo responded with what Claire thought to be a happy trill.

"I think someone likes you. If you want you can pet her. Just don't reach through the bars, let her reach through to touch you." Shakily Claire held up her hand. Her heart was beating out of her chest when Echo poked her snout through the bars and sniffed her hand. She knew she was far enough away that Echo couldn't bite her, but she was within inches of a carnivorous beast known for outsmarting their prey. Only Owen's hand on her back kept her from falling backwards as Echo nudged her hand, wanting Claire to pet her.

"This is amazing…" Echo was purring, something she had no idea the Raptors could do. A sharp bark made Echo pull back and look to the woods. Blue was standing at the tree line with Delta and Charlie, waiting for Echo to join them again. A quick chirp for both Claire and Owen, and then Echo was running back into the forest to follow her sisters. Claire let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding. She had pet a Raptor. Karen would never believe her, and her nephew Gray would be so jealous.

"So what do you think?"

"Well Mr. Grady, I think spending my Saturday at the Raptor paddock, instead of curled up on my couch with a good book and a glass of wine, was a good choice. Thank you for inviting me here." He rubbed the back of his neck, actually looking slightly embarrassed at the thank you. Claire grinned—she liked the feeling of throwing him off guard. It wasn't often that it happened, but she needed to find a way to make it more frequent.

"Ahem, well Barry's got everything under control. How about we go get an early dinner?" Claire nodded, walking to her car. He jogged up beside her, and gently took the keys from her.

"Actually I thought you could ride with me, I have a surprise. Your car will be safe here, I promise Barry will keep a close eye on it." She looked at him suspiciously for a moment before sighing and surrendering her keys. Owen slipped them in one of his many vest pockets and grabbed her hand again to lead her toward his vehicle. She blushed at the contact, thinking about all the people that could be watching them right now. If rumors spread about the two of them, she only had herself to blame.

"Have you ever ridden a bike before?"

"What kind of question is that, of course I've ridden a bike." Owen grinned, shaking his head.

"Not that kind of bike Princess, I mean a real bike. Like mine." She tried to stop and pull her hand from his, but he tightened his grasp. She could see his bike under the shade of the trees. A least it looked like he had washed it. She couldn't see a speck of mud or grease anywhere.

"Oh no, I am not getting on that thing. No I've never ridden a motorcycle, and I'm not keen on learning to." Owen kept walking, not letting up on his grip in the slightest. Eventually she realized running would do nothing, because he still had her keys in his vest. Maybe she could slip her hand into the pocket while he was starting the bike, take back her keys, and run for the car. When he glanced over she smiled, which turned out to be a mistake. Owen took one look at her and zipped the pocket holding her keys.

"No running. It'll be fun, I promise. You trusted me to let you pet a baby Raptor, so why not trust me to keep you safe on my bike?" Claire grumbled profanities under her breath as she mounted the bike. Owen instructed her to scoot closer when he realized she was almost completely off the seat.

"Now put your arms around me so you won't fall off." Never had she been so grateful to be sitting behind someone. Her face had reached maximum redness, and she was not keen on Owen seeing just how red her face could get. Karen used to play a game when they were little called, 'Which is redder, Claire's hair or her face?'

"Ready?" Reluctantly she gingerly placed her hands on his waist, jumping as the engine roared to life. Owen tapped the gas then hit the break to make Claire tighten her hold before finally taking off.

Surprisingly she enjoyed the ride more than she thought was possible. A fleeting thought of how messy her hair would look was shoved to the back of her mind as she enjoyed the wind blowing in her face. She suspected Owen usually drove faster, but had slowed down for her sake. Maybe on the way back she could convince him to go his regular speed, provided the impending clouds in the sky moved along without raining. She grimaced at the thought of riding in the rain or when the trails were muddy. Rain made her hair frizz horribly, and she had never been fond of getting mud on herself.

A dip in the road made her cling tighter to the man driving, whose laugher she could hear over the wind. It wouldn't be surprising if he hit the dip on purpose, but what did surprise her was how okay she was with his plan. Despite the vest and undershirt, Claire could still feel his defined muscles contracting as he kept the bike balanced.

Even when she disliked him, she couldn't deny he was attractive. One might even use the juvenile word hot to describe him. Claire worked in a world of serious business people, and Owen was fun. He could be serious when the situation called for it, but the rest of the time he enjoyed life and had fun. It was refreshing to be around someone who didn't let other's mood affect their own.

"I'm gonna drop you off on the porch before I park the bike in the garage. There's a lot of mud around that area." She nodded, knowing he could feel it with her face being pressed against his back.

It took all of her concentration not to fall over when she swung her leg over the seat. The trip had only taken about fifteen minutes, but not having ever ridden a bike before she hadn't expected her legs to feel like jelly. While Owen parked she shook out her legs and arms, trying to regain feeling before he came back. The last thing she needed was him making fun of her for falling flat while walking. Thankfully the feeling had returned as he rounded the corner, Owen only catching her stretching her arms. He grinned before gesturing inside.

"Oh thank god I was secretly hoping you had cooked something." She blurted out.

The table was set with a bowl of steaming pasta in the middle. It looked like her favorite kind she occasionally spoiled herself with from Outback, complete with the grilled chicken cut up into squares on a separate plate. A bottle of red wine was waiting beside two wine glasses, where two candles flickered in the dimmed lights.

"Your assistant may or may not have helped with this. Well, I cooked everything beforehand and she just made sure it was ready by the time we got here. Apparently she was thinking romantic setting and added the candles." Claire was already thinking of ways to get back at Zara as she walked over to the table. She could smell the aroma of the pasta, confirming it was her favorite. Owen followed and pulled out her seat, gesturing for her to sit. Once she was seated he poured the wine and took a seat as well.

"I may negotiate with Masrani to have you be my private chef. I'm officially spoiled and will not eat the restaurant food on the island anymore."

"Do you really wanna risk stoking my ego? I recall you saying something about it being ridiculously large one time." She laughed, popping a piece of the chicken in her mouth.

"That was before I agreed to finally go on a date with you. You had been asking for around three months at that point." He shrugged, shooting her what she declared his signature grin.

"I also remembered you telling me that your favorite dish from Outback was this." He gestured at the bowl of pasta in the middle of the table. It tasted pretty close to the Outback recipe, but whatever he had added in made it ten times better in her opinion. Not that she would tell him that, because he did have a large ego. A little inflating wasn't bad, but telling him he made better food than Outback might just make his head explode.

"Alright Owen, I'll admit it. I am impressed. You can cook and you listen, two things most guys never master in a lifetime."

"Since this dinner is going so nicely, I'm just going to go ahead and mark it down as a second date." Claire almost, _almost_ , spit her wine across the table. He was giving her that challenging smile. He always flashed it whenever he was looking for a playful argument, but she realized she wouldn't mind calling this a second date. There was wine, candles, wonderful food, Owen was wearing jeans, and she didn't have an itinerary in hand. Plus she was enjoying herself, something not many dates had had.

"Second date it is then. We're having fun, you're not wearing board shorts, and I'm not being a control freak. I can't say that about a lot of dates, so it would be nice to have a good one on the books." She sipped her wine casually, smiling behind the glass. Owen looked stunned for a moment but quickly recovered.

"Let's say this date ends well, would Miss Dearing be willing to go on a third date?"

"Promise not to wear board shorts or bring a bottle of tequila?"

"You are never going to let that go, are you?"

"Nope."

"Alrighty then. I promise not to wear inappropriate shorts no matter how hot it is or bring tequila because now I know what kind of wine you like. Happy?" She giggled, actually giggled in front of somebody other than Zara and Karen, and nodded. Perhaps hanging out with Owen more often could be good for her, especially if he continued to cook. She deserved something in her life that could make her laugh like he did, and she secretly loved his bike now, though she would deny it if ever asked.

"Can I pick what we do next time?"

"As long as it doesn't include an itinerary, Miss Dearing."

"No promises, Mr. Grady." The warm feeling in her chest was most definitely welcome as he smiled at her again. She couldn't wait for their third date.


	4. Chapter 4

**So far, so good! The reviews are lovely, so thank you everyone! I want to also thank my subscribers (yes, I've noticed you all as well). Keep up the good work, and I'll do my best to keep up my end of the bargain!**

 **Enjoy!**

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 **We're In This Together  
Chapter 4**

Their third date was a success, even if Owen teased Claire the entire time once he realized she didn't know the implication of inviting a date over for a Netflix night. Her cheeks had flushed so red that he asked if she needed an icepack, to which she pinched the back of his arm.

Punching his shoulder would only hurt her more than him, so once she figured out the soft flesh behind his arm was vulnerable she used it to her advantage. Just to be a smartass, Claire had made a list of possible movies they could watch. Owen crumbled the piece of paper in a ball, and had thrown it at her in response before taking the bowl of popcorn.

After that night she had tried to keep track of what date they were on, but eventually she gave up. The lines became so blurred between something being a date, or just them getting together for something, so she pitched her tally sheet and went with it. He had never exclusively asked her to be his girlfriend, but they held hands occasionally and kept in contact through texting when they couldn't meet up on certain days.

Zara had insisted they were dating, and had extended Claire's invitation to her wedding to Owen as well. Zara had called it a free pass for Claire to see him dressed up nicely in a suit, which ended the argument immediately. Of course she wanted to see Owen in a suit. She knew what he looked like in his Navy uniform, and could only imagine how good he looked in a suit as well.

The first day Owen actually called Claire his girlfriend was the day a new investor for the park had gotten a bit too handsy. Claire had been dreading this new investor's tour of the park. As with all potential investors, background checks were completed by Mr. Masrani himself. One investor with ill intentions for the park could cause majors problems down the road. Both Claire and Simon wanted to avoid these investors at all costs, so Simon often checked around with other companies the investor had been connected with. If they had cause problems in the past, Simon usually denied their offer and sent them on their way.

This investor had not caused problems so much with the company itself, but he had been known to ignore when a woman tells him no. Masrani was already on the fence about letting him in, but Claire insisted she take him on the tour and see what happened. The park wouldn't run without funds, and the investor may not be as bad as they believed. She couldn't have been more wrong.

"Welcome to Jurassic World, my name is Claire. I'll be giving you the tour of the facilities and the park, Mr. Robertson." He had smiled and shook her hand, but his eyes had went straight to her chest. She wasn't wearing anything remotely revealing. A buttoned up white blazer with a pastel blouse underneath covered everything, and her choice in looser attire was to ensure nothing was form fitting. Once he glanced behind himself at something, Claire took a deep breath and tried to think calm thoughts.

By the time they rounded to the Raptor's paddock, Claire was ready to feed him to Rexy. More than a few times his hand had occasionally brushed up against her arm, and twice her butt. She promised herself that if he did it again, she was going to cut the tour short and tell Simon she couldn't do it. Maybe throw in a broken nose for him to remember the park by if he dared grab at anything.

Owen wasn't anywhere in sight, but Barry was showing a new trainee how to use to the harnesses Claire had had installed as per Owen's request. She was officially glad he had suggested them when about a month after the installation a pig had gotten out. One of the younger guys had tried to grab the pig with a wired pole, but the girls had been quicker and grabbed the pig first. The force pulled him over the railing, but the harness caught him and kept him from becoming Raptor chow. After that Claire had harnesses installed in all the paddocks with open catwalks, in case something of a similar nature should happen.

"Miss Dearing, you came at a good time. I was getting ready to give the girl's their lunch." Barry's voice carried over easily. After checking with Mr. Robertson to see if he would like to witness the feeding, they approached the viewing section for visiting inspectors. The girls were behaving surprisingly well today, secretly thrilling Claire. Mr. Robertson seemed so interested in the Raptors, that he had forgotten about her. She let out a breath, happy they would be finished with the tour once she showed him the construction site for Paddock 11. She was very ready to go home and have a nice glass of wine.

Owen exited the office right as Claire stepped into the viewing area with what looked to be an investor. He had the typical suit on, despite the almost one hundred degree weather. Sure Claire always wore business clothing, but she at least wore airy things that weren't so stifling. These investors somehow always managed to survive their stay wearing thick suits, something Owen didn't like doing even if the room had AC on full blast.

Something didn't sit right with him as he continued to look over the guy. The guy began to talk to Claire, pointing at the Raptors. He guessed the investor was asking if they had names and what they were. Claire answered, pointing to each one individually, confirming his thoughts. He was about to go up on the catwalk with Barry when Claire suddenly turned red and stepped away from the man.

She looked very uncomfortable, but was trying to maintain her appearance. The man stepped closer to her and put a hand on her arm. She pulled away, starting to get angry. One fist was pressed tightly against her thigh, fingers clenched to the point her knuckles were white. The man stepped closer again, officially making it time for some intervention.

"Sir that is not an appropriate question to ask, and I would be grateful if you would remove yourself from my personal space." Owen could hear the rage in her voice.

"Aw come one Sweet Cheeks, just answer it. No one has to know about it, just you and me." He pinned her against the wall, reaching around to grab her butt. He didn't get past her hip when Owen grabbed the collar of his blazer and yanked backwards. The man let out a strangled noise, while Claire brushed the wrinkles from her jacket and stepped to the side of the men.

"Excuse me but I was having a conversation with Miss Dearing. Who are you?" The man was trying to compose himself, but failing to do so.

"I'm Owen Grady, and I'm the Alpha of these animals." Claire wanted to laugh when almost on cue Blue, Delta, Echo, and Charlie raced over and slammed against the bars trying to get to the man who had upset their Alpha. Mr. Robertson jumped, falling over himself in an attempt to get away. The Raptors had no way of coming close to getting him, but their reputation was more than enough to scare him.

"Well Mr. Grady I am Sean Robertson, and I suggest you leave so that I may continue discussing business with Miss Dearing." Never in a million years would Owen or Claire have thought someone could be stupid enough to try and grope someone right after being caught. Yet Mr. Robertson took the step to Claire, and landed his hand directly on her butt. Owen leapt forward ready to kill the man, but surprisingly Claire whirled around and decked him first.

He heard a distinct crunch of bones and hoped it had been Robertson's face and not Claire's hand. Robertson fell backwards, blood gushing from where his hands grasped his face. Claire was hissing in pain and shaking her hand, but looking down on the bleeding man with contempt.

"Try keeping your disgusting hands off of women, Mr. Robertson. Especially when the woman happens to be my girlfriend." Owen had crouched down to make sure the man heard him. Claire looked shocked for a moment at Owen's words, but quickly regained her composure.

"Yes, you would do well in the future to keep your wandering hands to yourself." Owen smiled and grabbed her non-injured hand, tugging her close before leaving security to deal with Mr. Robertson. Owen gave Barry a thumbs up, knowing his friend had been the one to call security down as soon as the situation had escalated. Barry returned the gesture before heading off to finish his business.

While Claire waited for the medical team to arrive, Owen worked on calming the girls down. Echo had grown especially attached to Claire and wouldn't calm down until Claire came to the fence to show her she was fine. Eventually the girls went back to playing the in the woods, and Owen watched as the EMT checked out Claire's hand. Robertson had already been taken by another ambulance to the parks medical facilities, before Owen could go back and finished kicking his ass.

"I can take care of myself you know."

"I know that, but you'll hurt yourself trying to do everything by yourself. Doc said to rest your hand for at least a week, or until he can take out the sutures." She huffed, tossing her bag on the couch and heading to the kitchen for a glass of water. Luckily nothing had been broken but Mr. Robertson's nose.

Claire had been worried sick she would be confined to a cast for a minimum of six weeks, so hearing she would just have to take it easy, wear the brace, and not rip her stitches for a week was good news. The bad news was his insistence Claire not be on her own for the week, seeing as she had injured her dominate hand. It was only natural Owen jumped at the chance, and declared himself her babysitter for the next week.

Not even an hour after taking her home, Claire was ready to strangle her house guest. If she even moved to get off the sofa, Owen stopped her and asked what she needed then proceeded to go get it. She could understand it was a nice gesture. He was just worried about her and trying to help, but she was so used to be on her own most of the time. Currently he was sitting on the other sofa, curiously leafing through one of the novels she had left lying around.

"Hey Owen, sweetie, can you get me something? I need the bottle in the bottom drawer of the fridge." He nodded, walking in the direction of her kitchen. She kept typing, waiting for some sort of noise. It was silent for a little while, until she heard the door slowly shut. He came back into the living room, expression carefully blank.

"Really Claire? Really?" She giggled, unable to restrain herself any longer. Owen moved her laptop to the coffee table so he that he could flop down on the couch and rest his head in her lap.

"A bottle of tequila. You have a bottle of tequila in your fridge because?"

"It would remove the stick from your ass and leave me be."

"Fine, I'll lay off. Just keep smiling." Her soft smile made him grin— he loved seeing her smile and would do anything to see it. When her fingers began to play with his hair, he closed his eyes in bliss and pictured her beautiful smile.

Claire had been running her fingers through Owen's hair for long enough that he had gone to sleep. His eyes were shut, and his chest was rising and falling in a steady rhythm. He looked so peaceful, something Claire rarely saw on his face.

Most of the time his expression was playful but still serious, unless he was with the Raptors. With the Raptors he was serious but still kept his mischievous nature. This was the first time she had ever seen Owen with a purely peaceful expression. She smiled, enjoying the fact she had put him to sleep by just playing with his hair.

She knew Owen had served in the Navy for some time, but he had never spoken of it. It was in his files he had been honorably discharged, but nothing she could find ever told why. The most she could infer was his unit was part of covert operations, thus the reason she couldn't find anything about his time served. If he had been covert operations, and he was honorably discharged, then something majorly bad must have happened leading to the end of his Navy career. One day she hoped he would open up, but then again she would have to open up about her past as well. So maybe she wasn't ready for him to share his secrets just yet.

"Owen?" She whispered, just in case he was deep asleep.

"Yeah?" She could tell he was still very sleepy, and would pass back out as soon as she stopped talking.

"You called me your girlfriend earlier. Was that intentional?"

"Yes."

"So we're exclusive now?"

"Do you want to be?"

"If you want to be, then yes. I actually do."

"We're exclusive then." Owen was mumbling as he responded each time, but Clare could tell he was an honest talker when half asleep. She smiled and felt that warm feeling in her chest swell again. A shred of fear of what would happen should they not work out tried to weed its way to the forefront of her mind, but his hand grasping hers quickly buried it again. Owen knew about her control issues and dedication to her job, and yet they still went on many dates and hung out together. Those were some of the biggest hurdles in her life, but Owen barreled right through them. They would be just fine.

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 **They're so adorable, and I can picture Claire being able to throw a mean hook. I'll update soon, but for now please subscribe and review!**


	5. Chapter 5

**I'm not even going to look how long it's been since I've updated. I'd rather just apologize, and hope you enjoy the chapter.**

* * *

 **We're in This Together  
Chapter Five**

Becoming exclusive had been nerve-wracking for Claire, but she decided to let the gossip chain do most of the work and only confirming it when asked. She knew there would probably be some backlash about their relationship, a couple of people unhappy that she was dating a coworker, but plenty of other employees of the park dated each other. Claire wasn't even really in charge of Owen, she simply helped with communications between Masrani, Owen, and InGen.

To her surprise, the overwhelming majority was fine with them and said nothing about it. Masrani himself had been thrilled, claiming that it was about time Claire lived a life outside of her office. Of course, he had called them both in for a 'serious meeting' and scared them half to death before expressing his joy. She swore the man got kicks on testing her nerves.

She opened her mouth to argue she did have a life outside the office, but Owen put a hand over her mouth and told Masrani he would personally make her take a day off occasionally. She contemplated biting him as Masrani and Owen laughed, but he took his hand away and kissed her temple to calm her down.

"I'll hold you to that Mr. Grady. Last year I had to force her to take vacation time, and post security outside her office to be sure she did not sneak in and try to work. They caught her twice and had to remove her from the building both times." Owen grinned, giving Claire the look that always made her angry.

"I was working on a very important proposal to pitch to our sponsors at the time, and you wouldn't let me take the work back to my apartment. I couldn't simply stop for an entire week."

"That would be defeating the purpose of a vacation, Claire. Perhaps this year I'll force you to leave the island, and Mr. Grady can help me ensure you stay away for the week." Claire knew that Masrani had found a partner in crime, especially when it came to controlling her— not that she would give in that easily to either of them.

Once Claire's hand was healed, Owen didn't spend every single night, but he still spent the majority of his time with her when they weren't at work. During the weekdays he stayed at her place unless something came up with the Raptors, and on the weekends when Claire didn't need to go into her office for anything she usually stayed with him.

For a few weeks, Owen didn't say anything, but Claire could tell something was on his mind every weekend she spent there. There were so many things he could've been thinking about, and each of them made Claire anxious.

They had been together for around three months, and despite sharing a bed frequently they hadn't done any of _that_. Could it be that he wanted to and was waiting for Claire to make a move? It wasn't as if she was a virgin, but she had only been with one other guy and that had been a long time ago in college. She grimaced thinking back on it, that experience enough to make her cringe away from the guys on campus and dive into her studies. Yes, she was a grown woman, but it still didn't dispel her fears about getting intimate with someone again.

Or maybe he was uncomfortable with how fast things had gone. She knew it wasn't common for a couple to be pretty much living together after only dating for five months, but she justified it because they had known each other for a few years before any of this happened.

Owen wasn't one to keep quiet if something like that was bothering him, but she still wouldn't rule it out. She might need to ask him about it, and maybe just stay in her apartment on the weekends. He might miss his time alone on the weekend, and if that was the case she wouldn't mind giving him space.

Later that evening Claire was laid out in the hammock Owen had strung up between two trees facing the shoreline, reading a book her sister had sent for her birthday last year. Owen had left a few hours ago after receiving a call from Barry to come check out the girls after they had gotten in a scuffle with each other, so Claire took the opportunity to go outside and enjoy the sound of the ocean along with a good book.

At some point, she fell asleep. The sound of Owen's bike returning didn't wake her, nor did the sound of the screen door slamming. If she had been awake, she would have heard him return and laugh after a few minutes of silence, before exiting again and approaching her.

"Claire?" She woke up with a hum, not opening her eyes.

"Wanna tell me why you," He paused to read off the paper in his hand. "Think I might be afraid of how fast things are going? Or upset that we haven't had sex yet?" Claire tried to sit up quickly, only for the hammock to flip and dump her on the ground. She scrambled up, holding the book tight to her chest and looking panicked.

"You weren't supposed to see that. Wait, you told me you wouldn't be back until after dark." She tried desperately to shift the attention away from herself to avoid talking about it. She clutched the book even tighter waiting for his answer.

"They didn't get in an actual fight, they just were playing and got a little rough, so no one was hurt. We didn't have to put them in the harnesses to look at them, so that saved a lot of time." She nodded, taking a step backward as he advanced towards her, but when she turned to run Owen grabbed her around the waist. She squealed and started laughing, playfully slapping at his hand's in an attempt to put her down.

"If you stop struggling we can lay in the hammock together." She loved when they did that, and Owen knew it. She stopped struggling and he maneuvered them into the hammock, pretending to start to tip so Claire would cling to him. She scowled at him, but Owen simply pecked her cheek and laid back.

"So what's this list about?" She groaned and hid her face in her hands.

"You're not going to let this go by chance, are you?"

"Nope, not ever." She knew he was smirking without even looking.

"When I come over, it seems like something's bothering you. I got bored, and started thinking and made a list of possible reasons why." She felt stupid admitting it, but looking at him she saw she was right.

"Something has been bothering me, but it's nothing on this list. Although if you want to cross off number one we can definitely do that." Claire laughed and swatted at him, in turn making Owen laugh too. They laid in silence for a few minutes, appreciating the moment. The sun hadn't quite begun to set, but it was beginning to turn the sky orange and reflected beautifully across the water.

"I know it's not the most spacious or clean here, so I don't want you to feel like you have to stay here. If you would rather stay at your apartment on the weekends, we can do that." Her hand curled and grasped his shirt between her fingers, then released it and smoothed the fabric down.

"No making fun of me if I tell you this, got it?" She sounded serious, so Owen agreed, curious what she had on her mind.

"I actually like it here. The house is cozy, and it feels like I can relax. Plus, it's quiet. Do you know how difficult it was for me to sleep when I first took the job here? I was used to Wisconsin sounds, not the constant noise of people until the early hours of the morning. The window in my bedroom has blackout curtains to keep the light of the park out so I can sleep, and I miss being woken up by the sun if I'm being honest. Don't get me wrong, I love my apartment, but here I feel like I can relax and I don't have to be Claire Dearing. When I'm here, I can just be Claire."

"So you complaining about the bugs and my shitty AC is just for the sake of complaining?"

"Correct." He laughed and tugged her closer.

They laid in the hammock until the sun was well below the horizon, using the dying light to navigate their way back inside. Dinner went by as it usually did, and that evening when they went to bed he didn't go to sleep thinking about how Claire deserved something better than this.

He had actually been contemplating moving somewhere more convenient, but it was a relief to know that she liked it here. He would probably make some changes still, just to make her feel more comfortable. Redoing his stoop into an actual porch wouldn't be a bad idea, and fixing his water heater and air conditioning unit would probably make her really happy.

"Owen?"

"Hmm?"

"There is one thing I don't like here."

"What's that?"

"Your mattress sucks, it feels like something they would use in a prison. I don't think your raptors would even sleep on it." He laughed, pulling her closer until she was flush against him. He should have known that if anything really bothered her it would be his mattress. In the Navy he had learned to sleep anywhere on anything, so his mattress didn't bother him at all. The first time Claire had slept there (going to bed conscious anyway) she had tossed and turned all night and gave Owen an earful in the morning about it. After that she hadn't really mentioned it, but he knew she would never willing give up her plush mattress.

"Maybe if you ask the raptors they'll bring you a better mattress." He quipped, poking the tip of her nose with a finger.

"Ha-ha, very funny. Goodnight Owen." She swatted his hand away, smiling.

"Night Clare."

The next weekend she spent there, Owen had hardly been able to contain his excitement about the new mattress. He tried multiple times to get her to sit or lie down on it without giving the surprise away, but eventually, he ended up just throwing her onto the bed. She had screamed, ready to yell at Owen because the impact on his mattress was bound to leave a bruise, but instead of hitting what should have felt like a brick wall she bounced once and sunk into the softness.

"You like?"

"Shut up and get over here." She gripped the collar of his shirt, pulling him flush against her body. He would have gotten a new mattress months ago if he knew that would have been the outcome.

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 **Next chapter coming soon (hopefully)? Hopefully with the temptation of Clawen coming this summer my pasion for this story will return.**


	6. Chapter 6

**We're In This Together  
Chapter Six: Knock Out Girl Part I**

Hoskins had been a reoccurring issue for both Claire and Owen since he set foot on Isla Nublar.

Owen was constantly denying him access to the Raptors for field tests, as well as hiring other employees from InGen. Hoskins made the Raptors nervous when he was around, and if his Raptors lunged at someone other than attempts for food, then Owen was inclined not to like that person either.

Every time Hoskins got near the cage, Blue screeched in anger and began to try her best to get through the bars. Echo, Delta, and Charlie all followed her lead, and four angry raptors made everyone else around them anxious and angry.

Owen had eventually banned Hoskins from getting within twenty-five feet of the cage, resulting in an angry backlash from InGen. Owen was reminded he was hired as an InGen employee and they could very well remove him from the company. Of course, Simon Masrani had been sent a copy of the notice, resulting in his casual drop off of the InGen contract to Masrani Corporation onto Claire's desk.

Claire responded on behalf of Owen, reminding the company they were to act first and foremost with the animal's wellbeing in mind. Anything jeopardizing the health of any animal on the island was forbidden and punishable by contract termination. Firing Owen would definitely affect the Raptors and put any other employee trying to care for them at risk.

Claire also casually mentioned that the Raptors were the property of Masrani Corp, and InGen was doing research provisionally under their supervision. Simon chose that particular moment to crash the meeting, to everyone including Claire's surprise and announced he would personally employ those who had understood what caring for the Raptors really was and let go anyone who viewed them as anything other than animals.

Once Owen and every other employee being threatened by InGen had a newfound sense of job security, Hoskin's lost all control he had over the men working the cage. His behavior towards the employees became worse, especially towards Owen, in retaliation. Claire didn't have to see or hear from him often, but when he did pass her sexist remarks were always uttered under his breath.

Claire brushed them off easily enough. She was a business woman managing the top amusement park in the world, and that made a lot of men angry. She had beaten out countless people for the job, many of which who had already managed other top theme parks like Disney or King's Island.

Claire had been managing a small, independently owned, theme park when the position opened but she still applied. In college, she had to do a thesis paper on what she would change in a past tragedy if such a thing were possible. She had been six when Jurassic Park made the news, and it had fascinated both the Dearing children.

Claire, of course, chose Jurassic Park for her thesis, and how she would have changed not only the security precautions taken to keep the guests safe but also how she would have reacted to the Dennis Nedry situation.

She received a 100% on the paper, for not only tackling the before and after but for also taking into consideration the technology they had access to at the time. It would be easy for her generation to look at something and perceive a decision as stupid in that park, but Claire kept in mind they didn't know as much about the dinosaurs at that point and the technology was severely lacking. It's a lot easier to look at something from an outside perspective then make the decisions right then.

It was this very thesis that landed her the job. She had interviewed with Mr. Masrani himself, making her extremely nervous. She stuttered a few times, froze on some questions, and thought she was doing horribly in general.

She was so very inexperienced for a job position of that magnitude, only attempting it because of her curiosity. She thought Masrani was going to dismiss her, but instead, he pulled out a thick packet and slid it across the table.

" _This is very, very impressive Miss Dearing. I was going to disregard your application originally but then noticed the name was familiar. I came across your thesis online while researching for the security of the park. What you wrote is exactly what I was searching for. Claire, you did all of the research and thinking that I needed to begin planning security for this park. Anything that you need to learn to manage a place this big I can teach you, but most importantly you already understand the most crucial part to make this park open—the safety. If you want the job, it's yours."_ The news of a young, inexperienced woman getting the position spread like wildfire through the business world, and the legend of Claire Dearing was born.

Along with being able to negotiate any deal and talk circles around most lawyers, Claire Dearing was eventually known as the woman who knocked out an ex-Navy Seal with one hit.

"Ahem, Miss Dearing your presence has been requested." Poor Zara looked like she was going to faint. Usually, Claire would have Zara ask the person to wait until the meeting ended, but something told her she needed to see what was going on.

"I'm sorry, but I'm going to cut this meeting short. The notes will be emailed to everyone, and if there are questions you all have my cell number." She gathered her notes and hurried to the door, where Zara had been motioning for her to hurry. Her face was still very pale, and her hands were visibly shaking.

"Zara are you alright?"

"No, but it's not because of me. Owen's been terribly injured, and he's on his way to the hospital at this moment. Your car is pulled around and I'll go to your apartment and get you an overnight bag." It took everything yet nothing to start running for her car. To her surprise, Lowery was sitting in the driver's seat, but she didn't question it and dove into the passenger side. He took off before the door was even shut and began speeding towards the hospital.

"As soon as the call for an ambulance at the Raptor cage came through I called Zara to go get you. I don't know what happened, but as soon as I drop you off I'm going down to the control room to look at the footage."

"How bad is he? Is he still…?" She couldn't get the words out.

"Pretty bad. They already called in to have blood bags ready, but nothing's came through about a code blue." She sighed, taking little comfort in knowing he at least hadn't flat lined.

Lowery made the twenty-minute drive in only seven minutes. She jumped out as soon as the door unlocked, barely acknowledging Lowery's shouts that he would park the car. The nurse looked annoyed for a second when Claire stumbled into the desk until she recognized who she was.

"Miss Dearing, please come this way. He's in surgery right now, but I can take you to the observation deck for a moment to see him. Then you'll have to go and have a seat in the waiting room."

She wished she hadn't gone. She wished she would have just gone to the waiting room. There was so much blood she couldn't even tell where the wounds actually were. There were several surgeons working on him at once, the nurses running around getting more towels to clean up the blood that had long ago begun to drip onto the white tile. Bone was sticking out of one arm, gleaming white in the midst of red. Claire gagged as she watched a doctor put it back in place, only imagining the sound it made.

Gentle hands tugged her backward, removing her from the room. The steps to the waiting room didn't register, and neither did the soft seat under her as the nurse carefully sat her down. She felt numb. When Zara arrived with her duffle bag in hand Claire didn't notice until she was pulled into a hug.

Before anyone could blink she became a blubbering mess clinging onto her best friend.

"So much blood, so many doctors. How could anyone survive with that much blood outside their body? I'm going to lose him." Zara just hugged her tight, letting Claire cry everything out. She imagined her fiancé Alec in a similar position and felt tears prick her eyes. While seeing her boss and friend having a breakdown was scary, it wasn't near as bad as seeing her staring into space. She could cry as much as she wanted to and for as long as she needed to, as long as she didn't slip back into her own mind where she felt and saw nothing.

Time slipped by and Lowery eventually came back, muttering about sabotage. Zara's fiancé came by after his shift ended. While they had only interacted a few times, Alec liked Claire and Owen. He knew how dear the couple was to his future wife and wanted to support them.

Vivian had come as soon as her shift in the control room ended, bringing food for everyone. Barry came by once the girls were calmed again and had been fed for the night.

"Barry, what happened? Are you okay?" Claire began firing questions as soon as she caught him up on Owen's condition.

"I'm fine, Owen was the only one to get seriously injured. One other guy walked away with some scratches and a concussion. The cat walk collapsed while Owen and Jerry were up on it, throwing them into the cage. Owen was able to keep the girls back, but Jerry tried to make a run for the gate when Owen told him to stay still. The girls went for the attack, but Owen shoved him out of the way and got caught instead. Surprisingly as soon as Blue and Delta realized they had gotten him and not Jerry, they backed off and retreated until we got them out and the gate shut."

"The cat walk collapsed? How is that even possible?"

"Right now, it looks like the bolting was loose, but I know you checked everything yourself before the program was launched."

"Sabotage." Lowery blurted out. Everyone turned to stare at him with shock.

"I think someone loosened those bolts on purpose, but the security film doesn't show anyone messing with them in the last few months. Mr. Masrani's going back over the footage himself to double check." Lowery sighed, rubbing the palm of his hands over his eyes. Claire started to respond until the OR doors swung open.

"Owen Grady?" They all stood up, waiting anxiously for some news. The doctor looked surprised to see so many people at eleven in the evening but quickly recovered.

"He came in with some pretty bad injuries, but he'll live." Claire almost burst into tears again she was so relived.

Owen had been caught in an exploding jeep and didn't feel half as bad as then as he did now. A steady beeping quietly echoed in the room. If he was in the hospital then it meant he was still alive, which was a good sign.

His head ached, back and chest stung, and he felt like his entire left arm had been pinned under a heavy weight. He could hear a steady breathing to the right side of his bed, and a soft hand was resting under his. A faint trace of vanilla drifted to his nose, and he sighed.

"Claire." He blearily opened his eyes, blinking in an attempt to clear his blurry vision.

An involuntary groan edged its way from his throat when he tried to lift his left arm. He felt her hand slide from under his and tried to turn and look at her. It was a bad idea. Turning his head pulled on what felt like stitches on his back. He tried to pull in a deep breath to prevent another groan but only succeeded in causing another. He could feel stitches littering his chest as well.

"Hold still." Her voice was soft. He felt bad when he realized she only sounded that way when she was exhausted. Minutes later he heard her footsteps return along with another set.

"You're awake Mr. Grady. How are you feeling?" He opened his eyes again. Claire had sat gently on an open space on his bed and was looking down on him with a soft smile.

Her hair was a mess from sleeping, and the majority of her makeup had smudged off. Dark circles painted under her eyes, the usually beautiful blue and green color surrounded by a shade of red. They weren't puffy at least, so he knew she hadn't been crying, just sleep deprived.

"Sore and heavy. Cold too. It's good to see you again, Doc." Dr. William smiled and shook his head.

When the Raptors had been little, so little they were still in the nursery, they had gotten in a fight over a toy. Owen thought they were at a stage of actually listening to him but breaking up a Raptor fight wasn't the best way to test the theory.

While he hadn't been bitten, their claws had caught enough flesh to warrant stitches. Dr. William was the one to stitch him up, as well as take care of the numerous other injuries he received while the girls were little. Owen liked to think the good doctor was his friend.

"I'd rather see you come in conscious next time if that's not too much to ask." Owen grinned and looked over at Claire again. She was smiling slightly, but her distress was still very clear to him.

"I'm going to give you some more morphine, just enough to take the edge off, and I'll let Claire here explain everything to you." Dr. William injected the morphine into his drip and left.

"Do you remember?" Her fingers linked with his right hand, lightly squeezing.

"The cat walk collapsed. Jerry almost became the girl's dinner because he didn't listen, and I shoved him out of the way. How is he?"

"Mild concussion from the fall, but unharmed. You saved his life, Owen. The girls backed off the moment they realized they had hurt you instead of him. They weren't shot at or hit with the taser, Barry made sure of that." Thank god for Barry.

His girls might be dead right now if he hadn't intervened. He didn't feel any resentment towards them or anger. He felt pride that they hadn't finished him off when it could have been so easy. Blue didn't even go for Jerry once he was down—she had backed off.

"What about me? To be honest I don't feel too hot right now." She sighed, tracing his knuckles.

"Concussion, dislocated shoulder, and open fracture on your left arm from the fall. Lacerations on your back and front, but the front ones were the worst and your rib was nicked by a claw. Owen, you almost died. I saw you on the table, and I thought that that was it. I was going to lose you." He expected tears, but surprisingly there were none. Claire looked worried and tired, but there were no tears.

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise."

"Well, because of your stunt you get one of two options. You stay with me until you're better, or I stay with you until you're better."

"I'm not leaving your sight for a while, am I?"

"Nope." She kissed his forehead, and told him she needed to go let his fan club know he was awake.

* * *

 **So, we will get to the Claire becoming known as the one punch wonder next chapter! I'll post it in the next day or so, or perhaps even hours depending on my self-control.**


	7. Chapter 7

**We're in This Together  
Chapter Seven: Knock Out Girl Part II**

Three weeks of being cooped up in Claire's apartment had driven him nuts, and finally, she relented to going for a walk once the doctor cleared him. He wasn't to do any strenuous activity, but things, like walking and going out to eat, were perfectly fine.

They took a walk around the main street, stopping a few times to talk to a few of the employees who had heard about the accident and wanted to make sure they were fine. Eventually they found themselves in one of the employee exclusive restaurants, Owen scarfing down a huge greasy cheeseburger while Claire picked at her pasta.

"You're not nagging me for getting a burger?"

"I do not nag, and you've been good so consider it a reward."

"Thank god, if I had to go another week of nothing but your 'healthy food' I was going to order ten pizzas and lock you out while I ate them." She smirked and resumed eating, picturing her apartment stacked with pizza boxes because Owen couldn't handle another smoothie.

He had been good, listening to her and letting her help him when he needed it. The first week had been the worst, mainly because when he wasn't sleeping due to his severe pain. He hated to take his pain medication because it made him feel so drowsy, and Claire's coaxing that sleeping would help him heal faster had the same effect as if she were talking to one of the raptors.

He insisted he go to the Raptors once he was feeling well enough to move on his own, but his doctor said that wasn't the best idea. He had to wait another week. While Claire had left for a meeting, Owen intended to sneak out and go see them. He, however, did not expect to find one of the security guards outside of the apartment.

" _Is everything okay Mr. Grady?" He didn't know this guy, and the chances of him persuading the guard to let him out weren't very high._

" _I don't suppose Claire stationed you here to make sure I don't leave?"_

" _Right on the mark, Mr. Grady." Owen nodded and slipped back inside._

Owen ended up ordering another burger once he finished the first, Claire finding amusement in his antics. It wasn't like she had starved him, she just made sure he ate right so that he would heal faster. Perhaps she would have to make him something deep fried or covered in grease occasionally.

"Owen, I'm glad to see you're doing better." She might had missed it if she hadn't been looking at his face. By his voice, she thought maybe it was Hoskins, but the twitch if Owen's eye confirmed it. Claire had to take a deep breath before turning around, giving Hoskins a professional smile.

They hadn't seen him since the accident, InGen reporting that he had business to attend to elsewhere for a few weeks.

Thanks to Lowry, Claire knew that Hoskins had been the cause of the catwalk collapsing. She hadn't been able to bring it to a legal team because the evidence of his tampering wasn't 100% clear, but Simon was aware of the situation and casually told Claire to do what she needed to.

She had reviewed the footage many times, just to be sure that she couldn't take legal action, before working on a plan to get Hoskins either removed from the park or fired completely. The video showed Hoskins crossing the catwalk, bending down to tie his shoe, and then exiting completely. Those familiar with the setup of the structure knew that where Hoskins had stopped was the location of the holding pins and bolts for the walk, and while he had been 'tying his shoe' he had loosened the holds and simply waited.

Against her better judgment, Claire had told Owen her theory a few days ago. He had been understandably angry at first, but then calmed and promised to let Claire take care of it.

From their conversation, Claire also learned that Hoskins frequently tried to persuade Owen and Barry to let the raptors loose to see what they could do— a field test he had called it.

By dropping people into the raptor pen, Hoskins was able to run a test and see what the Raptors would do. He was probably pleased that they hadn't killed Owen, and had acted ashamed that they had hurt their alpha. It only proved that Owen could eventually control them, and give him access to a field test.

"Much better, thanks. I should be back to work next week." Hoskins nodded, coming around to stand at the edge of their table. He looked down on Claire, that irritating smirk on his face that screamed he was about to make a sexist remark.

She hoped he said something horrible, then she could get him fired on misconduct charges even if he was employed by InGen and not Masrani.

"How did taking care of a man feel, Claire? You should consider making that your full-time job." She clenched a fist and gritted her teeth to keep from literally spitting back at him.

"How was your time off Mr. Hoskins? The employees in the raptor pen enjoyed it immensely." The people in a table nearby looked at each with shock, covering their mouths in a poor attempt to contain their laughter. It took everything in Claire not to smirk at their reaction and keep eye contact with Hoskins.

The man was well known for constantly getting in pissing contests with the men around him, but Claire sure as hell wasn't going to lose to this guy. After almost three minutes of intense staring, Hoskins finally looked away with a scowl on his face. Claire smiled when he looked away, catching Owen's beaming grin out of the corner of her eye.

"What are you smiling about Grady? Your woman is more of a man than you are. Tell me, when you two get it on is she top or bottom? Or does she tell you what's going to happen before you even start?"

Before anyone could even blink Claire's fist shot out and Hoskins was on the ground, unconscious. She grinned in triumph, standing proud like a predator does over its prey. Owen had come around to put a hand on her back, kissing her cheek. After the incident with Mr. Robinson, he had taught her how to throw a proper punch. His lessons paid off.

"I've been waiting for someone to teach that asshole a lesson, and a woman knocking him out in _one punch_ is a hell of a lesson! Claire, next bar night I'm buying you a drink." She flushed, recognizing the guy as one of Owen's subordinates at the raptor paddock. Owen kissed her temple, puffing out his chest in pride.

Once security had shown up, they asked Claire to head to Mr. Masrani's office and wait for him there. It had been awkward at first, the men not really sure what to do seeing as the Park Operations Manager had been involved in the altercation.

After about an hour of Claire pacing the floor and Owen telling her that she was going to wear through the floor, Simon finally stepped into the office looking more serious than either one had ever seen him.

"Claire, I've heard several statements from witnesses and Mr. Hoskins himself. InGen has passed the decision of punishment to me, seeing as the attack was provoked by Mr. Hoskins. Do you have anything to say before I tell you what I've decided?"

"I'm not sorry, he deserved what he got." Simon sighed and looked down at his folded hands, making Claire's veins flood with ice. She wanted to grab Owen's hand for support, but she wasn't sure how Simon would take it. He seemed very upset with her, and what she had done could be grounds for termination.

Of course, she could take it to court and counter sue Hoskins for harassment and gender discrimination—

"That's exactly what I wanted to hear from you, Claire." He was grinning at her now, looking like he was almost proud of her.

"Mr. Masrani, I don't understand."

"Oh Claire, Jurassic World wouldn't survive a week without you here. God knows I'm not one for paperwork and meetings, let alone trying to convince companies to give us money and sign contracts with us.

"Besides, that man has been a thorn in my side since the day I met him. InGen has decided to let him go in light of possible lawsuits from multiple employees of both InGen and Jurassic World. What you did today gave them all the courage to step forward, and take action."

"So you're commending me, rather than punishing me?" Simon nodded, looking down at a paper in his hands and then back up at her.

"Sort of, I still need to punish you. I've already discussed it with Zara, and it's in your calendar." The way he spoke, she thought she was going to have to take some sort of class or even community service on the island. However, looking at the paper had her jaw dropping.

"You're sending her on a paid vacation as punishment?" Owen had peeked over her shoulder reading the piece of paper. While he laughed, Claire groaned and let her head drop into her hand. When she looked back up at Simon, he was grinning again and seemed quite pleased with himself.

"Well, at least you're giving me a couple weeks to get everything in order for Zara." Claire knew her assistant could handle everything, but she liked to do some work ahead so Zara wouldn't be drowned in the work.

"Mr. Grady you have the week off as well if you would like. I know you may not feel comfortable leaving the Raptors after the time you've been off on medical leave."

"They'll be fine; Barry may not be alpha to them but they still like him. Besides, I've been seeing them a few hours a day the last two weeks so I haven't really been away from them for long at all." Claire opened her mouth to yell at him, but Simon stood up before she could.

"Excellent, I'll confirm your time off. Now if you'll both excuse me, I have something to do before Claire starts yelling. Have a good day." Claire was staring down Owen hard, trying to figure out how he had slipped past the security guard.

"Turns out Michael has always really like the Raptors, and I promised him he could watch if he took me to the paddock while you were gone." She couldn't help but let out a small laugh, figuring it was her luck that out of the entire security detail she had to pick from she picked the one who liked raptors. Deciding it wasn't worth the fight, she grabbed Owen's sleeve and pulled him along to head back to the apartment.

The next day when she dropped Owen off at the paddock, all the guys were lined up out front and broke out in applause as she pulled in. She blushed as they whistled and cheered, someone shouting how no one would ever forget the woman who knocked out a Navy man with one punch.

* * *

 **For some reason, I just really enjoy the thought of Claire clocking Hoskins, and thus the last chapter and this one were born. New chapter coming soon!**


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